“Thank you, sweetpie — can I have a piece of paper to wrap it in?”
Mr. Morris instantly handed over one of the brown pieces that he wrapped sold books in, and Elizabeth wrapped the bread in it, and deposited it into her reticule.
After watching this, Emily of course reached towards the bag, and said, “Baby.”
“No, no. You can wrap bread in paper afterwards.”
This brought on an immediate flood of tears. “Baby!”
Darcy grabbed his girl and flipped her upside down, which did not improve her mood, and then offered, “Let’s look at the pictures of the tigers again!”
Thisdidimprove Emily’s mood, and the two of them sat down around a table to reread, for likely the thousandth time,One hundred and one animals.
Mr. Morris let out an audible sigh of relief at the bread being placed safely away.
Elizabeth laughed. “He is not so difficult.”
“Ah, easy for you to say. You are to marry him tomorrow — and my sincere congratulations once more, Miss Bennet. We all are overjoyed to hear that you will be settled so well.”
“Thank you.”
“It is difficult with a gentleman who spendssofreely to say anything against him.”
Elizabeth laughed. “And let me see if I can remember what else from my father’s library I was particularly fond of that is not here. Ah yes, his collection of Jonathan Swift’s works. Do you know who you sold it to?”
“That was Mr. Darlington. But I fear it was a present for his son.”
“Ah. Fine lad, I shall not quibble then with his chance to enjoy the great humourist’s work — Papa’sTristram Shandy?”
“Sold to a gentleman in London. A bookshop. But it is a high traffic item, I do not think the chances are good that you will be able to find the same copy.”
Elizabeth shrugged. “I will not give Mr. Darcy’s man of business work to do for no purpose, in the case of books that neither my Papa nor I held in any great affection, but where there is sentiment, I have been assured the man will do his best.”
“The gentleman could not have offered a finer present to you for your wedding, nor one that shows he knows you better,” Mr. Morris said.
That of course brought a broad grin to Elizabeth. “I must say, I have been extremely fortunate.” She lowered her voice, and said with delight, “He is not only rich and handsome, but also generous and considerate.”
“The book with the Pompeii plates was purchased by Sir William, given your close friendship with the family, I imagine—”
“Charlotte already presented it as a gift. She had her father purchase it chiefly for my sake in the first place.”
“Let me think… it is not so easy to remember every purchase over the course of nearly a year.”
“The fate of the Greek books? — oh yes, Darcy himself bought half of them I believe.”
“I’m afraid the rest went to a scholar in London. I shall give you his address.”
After some further twenty minutes of discussion, Elizabeth and Darcy left Mr. Morris’s establishment. Elizabeth glowed with happiness. As soon as they were outside, she took Darcy’s face and kissed him soundly on the mouth, right on the open street.
The delight in his eyes was quite evident. “A good notion I had then?”
“The very best.”
They smiled at each other, and then Elizabeth sighed.
Darcy nodded seriously and gave her a soft embrace. “It is never an easy matter.”
“I want to show you what is left of him.” Elizabeth clenched her hands to fight off tears, suddenly recalling so much of how she had loved her father. He would have been delighted to know that she was recreating his library.
